• Why the Midterm Exams are simulations and in group?

  • The negotiation of conflicts is generated between individuals or groups and one way of learning is precisely by negotiating with other people.

  • It is not effective to learn individually and only theoretically.

  • It is as if a person learned theoretically to play football and without ever playing in a team. Most likely, that person will not perform well in a real match.

• Before taking part, students should review the instructions of the Midterm Exam that can be checked at:

  • Primer corte 30% > Learning Activities > Midterm Exam Three Party Coalition Exercise Round 1

• Before the Midterm Exam begins each student of the group, that has been formed, will be randomly assigned to one and only one role as a negotiator of an organization. If there is a group of 4 students, then a role will be played by 2 students. The respective roles are:

  • Group A
  • Group B
  • Group C

• The objective of the negotiation is to obtain the highest number of points and determine how they will be divided. This will be reflected in the grade obtained by each student.

• If an agreement is reached, it can be obtained between 2 or 3 Groups:

  • Possible agreements:

    • Case 1: A and B decide to reach an agreement to work together, they obtain 118 points and must decide how to distribute these points. However, C will be excluded.

    • Case 2: A and C decide to reach an agreement to work together, they obtain 84 points and must decide how to distribute these points. However, B will be excluded.

    • Case 3: B and C decide to reach an agreement to work together, they obtain 50 points and must decide how to distribute these points. However, A will be excluded.

    • Case 4: A, B and C decide to reach an agreement to work together, they obtain 121 points and must decide how to distribute these points. Nobody is excluded.

• Grades

  • Case 1: A and B work together but C is excluded.

    • C obtains a grade of 37 out of 50.
    • The grade of A and B will depend on who gets the most of the 118 points. The Group that gets the most points will have a grade of 50 out of 50 and the other Group gets a grade of 42 out of 50. If A and B divide the points equally, whoever gets the highest grade will be assigned randomly.

  • Case 2: A and C work together but B is excluded.

    • B obtains a grade of 37 out of 50.
    • The grade of A and C will depend on who gets the most of the 84 points. The Group that gets the most points will have a grade of 50 out of 50 and the other Group gets a grade of 42 out of 50. If A and C divide the points equally, whoever gets the highest grade will be assigned randomly.

• Grades

  • Case 3: B and C work together but A is excluded.

    • A obtains a grade of 37 out of 50.
    • The grade of B and C will depend on who gets the most of the 50 points. The Group that gets the most points will have a grade of 50 out of 50 and the other Group gets a grade of 42 out of 50. If B and C divide the points equally, whoever gets the highest grade will be assigned randomly.

  • Case 4: A, B and C work together so nobody is excluded.

    • The Group that obtains the highest amount of points will have a grade of 50 out of 50, the Group that obtains the second highest amount of points obtains a grade of 42 out of 50 and the Group that obtains the lowest amount of points obtains a grade of 37 out of 50. In case of a tie between any of the Groups, the one who obtains the highest grade, the second highest grade or the lowest grade will be assigned randomly depending on whether there is a tie between 2 or 3 Groups.

• Before, during and after the Midterm Exam remember:

  • Before

    • To form groups where this task is the responsibility of students and read the instructions.

  • During

    • You have to make 2 decisions: Who do you want to work with? How will the points be divided?
    • Your grade depends on the amount of points you obtain and no extra points will be assigned for helping or harming the parties involved in the negotiation.
    • If an agreement is reached and the same amount of points is obtained as another Group then the highest grade will be assigned randomly within the Groups that obtained the same amount of points.
    • It is okay to discuss but you must respect the parameters indicated in the last paragraph of the specific instructions.

• Assume the american roulette is balanced, where all 38 outcomes are equally likely, and suppose you bet on a single number.

  • Also note that in casinos, if the number you bet on is hit, the winner must be paid \(35\) times their bet.

• Suppose you bet \(1000\) on a number. In that case, the expected value is:

\[(1000 * 35) * (1 / 38) + (-1000) * (37 / 38) \approx -52.63\] Where:

• \((1000 * 35) * (1 / 38)\) is the expected value of the winnings.
• Otherwise, you must transfer \(1000\) to the casino (hence the negative value), with a probability of occurrence of \(37/38\)

In this sense, in the long run, your net gain is negative on average, approximately \(-52.63\). So this is not a fair game.

• 3 key questions and some answers based on the literature about negotiation

  • Be a consistent or adaptive negotiator?

    • Be a consistent negotiator

  • What is said early in the negotiation is important?

    • The first 5 minutes have a large effect on the negotiated agreements

  • Is more information always better?

    • Simply exchanging information does not automatically lead to better understanding of the other party’s preferences or to better negotiation outcomes